DUBLIN — Prosecutors here have already charged a man with running a brothel out of a local apartment, but now they’re trying to take thousands in cash from him, court records show.
Peter Wan, 42, of San Francisco, faces pimping and pandering charges for allegedly running a brothel on the 5300 block of Iron Horse Parkway. Prosecutors have described him as the brothel’s manager, who allegedly confessed knowing that its workers were flown in from other areas to be prostitutes, and told police he worked for another person who facilitated the operation.
But now, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office is moving to acquire $34,746 in cash seized by police during the investigation.
The DA’s petition alleges the money was involved in “organized crime” and that authorities have a right to seize it. Prosecutors cited a state law allowing them to seize funds and property from people who are suspected — but not necessarily convicted — of criminal activity.
Wan and another person, Chunrong Chen, have filed court paperwork responding to the forfeiture petition. The records say they were “innocent owners” who didn’t know of any criminal activity at the site. Chen, who has not been charged, shares an address with Wan, according to court records.
Wan pleaded not guilty in May and has not yet had a preliminary hearing, where a judge can review evidence against him, court records show. The charging documents allege that back in January 2024 — more than a year before he was charged — Wan was arrested on suspicion of running the Iron Horse Parkway brothel and confessed.
“Wan also stated that he knew the women brought to the brothel for the purposes of prostitution were brought there via airplane and vehicle by the person he alleged to work for,” a Dublin police investigator wrote in court filings. “It should be noted that during the course of this investigation, detectives discovered Wan’s brothel was connected to several other suspected brothels throughout northern California.”